Billabong Hires Director Of Spec. Retailer Relations

July 15, 2003

Irvine, CA — July 3, 2003 — Billabong is pleased to announce the appointment of industry veteran, Royce Cansler, to director of specialty retailer relations, a newly created position.

As a 35-year veteran of the surf industry, Cansler comes to this position with a solid knowledge in the specialty surf retail arena, and has been involved in all phases of the surf world from sales and merchandising to design and production.

“Billabong recognizes the shrinking specialty account base and wanted to create a position designed specifically to keep the specialty presence strong by devising customized strategies and giving special attention to key retailers nationwide,” said Paul Naude, President of Billabong, USA. “Royce will be a great addition to Billabong with his vast experience and motivation as we continue our efforts to form strategic alliances with surf, skate and snow specialty stores.”

Cansler comes to this position most recently from 3 Point Distribution, manufacturer’s of Ezekiel located in Irvine, CA, where he acted as vice president of sales. With seven years under his belt at Ezekiel, Cansler has done everything from developing and growing the brand through sales, merchandising and design, marketing and production, to the business side of things, through operations, financing and developing global license agreements.

Prior to Ezekiel, Cansler put in 17 years with Gotcha Sportswear, Irvine, CA, starting out as west coast sales rep and moving on to a market analyst, national promotions manager, merchandising manager, brand manager and national sales manager. Cansler also spent 10 years in retail and surfboard manufacturing in Santa Cruz, CA, as the general manager/buyer for Session Surfboards.

“I am so excited to work with such a talented group of people and continue to live the lifestyle I promote,” said Cansler.